World Cup final: Spain resemble the great Holland side of 1974, says Ossie Ardiles

Holland have a strange history in the World Cup. I was in the Argentina side
that played Holland in the World Cup final in 1978 in Buenos Aires, when the
Dutch were a magnificent team. They were still riding the wave of ‘Total
Football’, even though it had cost them the trophy in 1974.

Holland’s ’74 team was probably was one of the best in history but in ’78, they no longer had Johan Cruyff who had retired.

Although they’ve never won the World Cup, I remember being mesmerised by Holland in ’74, when they outplayed Germany. But Holland were too happy to espouse their Total Football philosophy and paid for it.

In ’74, I was in the first division in Argentina, dreaming of playing in the World Cup and, in fact, watching that style and planning to play in midfield, going all over the place. Holland were a genuine inspiration for me.

Four years later, there I was against this team. They were still a magnificent side — even without Cruyff. Big, strong and physical, but not dirty, and from back to front they were all technically gifted players, ridiculously comfortable on the ball.

They were a group of superstars – Johan Neeskens, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, that magnificent defender Ruud Krol and Rob Rensenbrink, who almost clinched the World Cup when he hit the post with a few minutes left in normal time and the score at 1-1.

I was up against Neeskens. He was superb, strong, aggressive, very similar to Graeme Souness in that way, but he could play too. My aim was to curb his strengths, and impose my own. It was a ding-dong fight between two teams on the edge.

Goals change things, of course, and Rensenbrink hitting the post made it our day in extra-time. Once we got in front, they counter-attacked, and we got a third.

In tomorrow’s final, I believe the current Holland side are up against it. The Dutch team of my day were more progressive. This team applies pressure on the opposition, stay solid defensively, and just know they will score goals.

The Holland teams of ’74 and ’78 were more like today’s Spain who will be trying to keep the ball while the Dutch defend deep and try to counter-attack.

Yet Spain could make them run and run and, at this stage in a major tournament, it is so much more tiring without the ball.

As always, the first goal could dictate the game. But the styles of the two teams play into the hands of Spain who have just a little semblance of the Holland side in the Seventies about them.